The cancer patients and their families needed accurate, useful information on the complementary and alternative medicine of cancer. Therefore, the guidebook for the complementary and alternative medicine in cancer treatment was made for them and it is thought that they can use the complementary and alternative treatments well by this guidebook. Moreover, it introduced the outline of the cancer research of the complementary and alternative medicine by Grants-in-Aid for Cancer from the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare of Japan.

The nationwide survey done by study group of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan (Grant-in-Aid; 13-20) revealed that the prevalence of CAM use was 44.6% (1382 of 3100) in cancer patients. CAM was used without sufficient information by 57.3% of users with cancer and without a consultation with a doctor by 60.7% of users. Recently, the patient-oriented guidebook for the CAM in cancer treatment was made by another study group of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan (Grant-in-Aid; 17-14). This paper reports the opinion and request on this guidebook. We also discusses the view towards a future revised edition.